#UI-70

[curatorofthisdigitalmorass]

ALIEN (1979)

[wikipediadogdotnet]

I love text posts sooo much guys. like I would still be an instagram girlie if it weren't for the beautiful blisterless countenance of the tumblr textpost. the unlimited potential in format and depth, the built-in capacity for footnotes! wow! I mean instagram has threads now but we don't talk about that.

[felassan]

Snippets. 🐺💜 DA:TV spoilers under cut.

When the Community Council played the game, in the working version they played, it sounds like when the 'no dying' mode was turned on, when the player's health gets low the screen turns red (but you don't then die, of course) [source]

Caitie of Ghildirthalen shared that everyone that she talked to from the Community Council really liked the gameplay. "They were all into it, none of us had any complaints about how they were doing the gameplay, we all thought it was solid" [source]

The Lighthouse isn't literally an actual lighthouse by the sea. It's in the Crossroads. It's "like a bubble in the Crossroads, kind of like what Morrigan brings you to" in DA:I. "It's its own little bubble, it's not actually the Crossroads, it's like its own little bubble of reality." "It's not really in the Fade, but it kinda is, but it's kinda not". "It's so cool, I loved it so much [...] it's very comfy". It used to belong to Solas and "as you walk around there, you will see, like, stuff, that kinda shows what Solas has been up to for the past couple years" [source]

"They say in the [Game Informer cover] article that [The Lighthouse] like looks gaudy, and stuff, and like it does, in like an ancient elven way, but it's not like going to grandma's house which has that 2005 Tuscan kitchen feel." It sounds like there are a lot of frescos made by Solas in there. "It's kind of like, sad, too, 'cause it's a little bit like, ancient elven bachelor pad that he's been too busy to really keep up with it". "I think it's the coolest hub [in a DA game] by far" [source]

After the gameplay reveal video, Solas essentially gets trapped in the new prison he was trying to build for Ghil and Elgar'nan. "I don't think they explain it well in the [GI cover] article what happens, like, lore-wise, like how this connection between Solas and Rook one, works, and then two, like, how it's done. [...] From that [Community Council participation and talking to devs], I have a better understanding of this link, and I do think the explanation given [in-game] is good, and is satisfying to me. They're just not explaining it well in the article, I do think they give a better reason in the game"[source]

Caitie shared that she doesn't know why marketing for the game keeps saying/trying to say that Rook isn't a Chosen One as a talking point. "Maybe [Rook] wasn't chosen, [they] just happened to be there, but now there is a connection there, like [they] can't just leave, [they] have that strange Solas connection that nobody else has". "In this game Rook was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, or right place right time, depending on how you look at it, and it could have been anyone in that scene, that's kind've what they're trying to say" [source]

Photomode is something the devs expressed to Community Council that they want to include in the game [source]

User: "many of us would love to see cosplay kits again of the new companions. Just thought to throw that out into the ether" Trick: "Agreed! Definitely bring that up to official BioWare accounts. I think it's a great idea." [source]

John: "at this point my brain is about 70% DATV and 30% everything else" [source]

User: "I keep looking at that horn [Taash's blue one], thinking: 1. What -is- it made of?" Karin Weekes-West: "If only we knew!" [source] User: "If this turns out to be some high-value gemstone or crafting mat, I can't promise I'll be able to suppress certain... larcenous urges." Karin: "How very Lords of Fortune of you! :D <3 It really is SO PRETTY, isn’t it? Our art team is so good. :)" [source]

User: "I need to know if Rook gets their own room CAN WE DECORATE" Carly: ":^)" [source]

User: "anyway they [Neve and Harding] are both in this concept art. next to each other even. this has to mean they are both alive after the prologue. right? right???" Carly: ":^)" [source]

Kala: "the overall UI is very nice" [source]

Kala: "I remember the sliders [in CC] having pretty good range tbh, so probably pretty tall and pretty short" [source]

Kala: "I can't wait to learn who the VAs for Rook are! I know one and I know people will be really excited for this person to join the Dragon Age family 🤫" [source]

[callmearcturus]

Paradise Killer is 6 dollars on Steam until May 16 and I am here to hard sell you all on it because it's one of the best games I've ever played.

I'm gonna go beyond giving you a bunch of punchy keywords and telling you it's queer as hell and making meme-y jokes, and I'm going to actually tell you what this game is.

So top-level, WHAT IS PARADISE KILLER?

Mechanically, Paradise Killer is an open-world murder mystery. There is zero combat but a lot of exploration of a very unique location. The majority of your time is going to be walking about Paradise 24, looking for people to discuss the case with and for clues that are scattered around the world.

One of the most interesting concepts in Paradise Killer that is both mechanical and narrative is deciding What Is Your Truth? What Is A Truth And What Is A Fact? From the moment you start the game proper, you can turn 180 degrees and begin the trial and decide who the killer is, before talking to anyone about the case.

For example, getting into the actual crime scene takes a lot of puzzle solving to unlock the sealed room where the victims were killed. But maybe instead of examining the crime scene, you talk to everyone on the island and think you have a good idea of what happened.

Meaning: It is perfectly valid to decide you have the answer to the mystery and just go complete the trial whenever you personally are ready. YOU decide when this ends.

Which frankly I think is a cool-as-fuck concept. Also, I fully believe if three different people find EVERY CLUE and talk to EVERY SUSPECT and hear EVERY PIECE OF EVIDENCE.... they might decide on three different truths entirely. And THAT to me is ingenious mechanical design I have not seen anywhere else in a video game.

Okay let's stop burying the lede and talk about the world of Paradise Killer.

The non-batshit version:

Paradise Killer takes place on a big, beautiful island, the 24th Paradise. The architecture is a delightful mix of black obsidian obelisks, brutalist monuments, opal crystals to slumbering alien gods, garden paths, luxury yachts, and a whole lot of gold and neon.

Neo-occultist urban residential vaporwave-core. If you are like me, you will be taking a lot of screenshots. My wallpaper on my computer is Paradise Killer.

Your interactions with the cast are done in visual novel-style, though I feel I have to shout out this isn't your stock Ren'py UI experience. Every single aspect of the way the game looks compounds the vibes even further.

And the characters are infuckingcredible.

(Notice the different font? This game has A FUCKTON OF ACCESSIBILITY OPTIONS, including dyslexic font options.)

Sammy Day Break, born under the sign of Shadow Zero, is the local distillery and bartender for the Syndicate. Talk to him about what's unique about the whiskey he's made on Paradise 24, or about the good old days of the Syndicate.

Is Doctor Doom Jazz, born under the sign of Cosmic Deceit, really that carefree about what happened? Is his willingness to rekindle his fling with Lady Love Dies just a diversion to hide something? Well, he's one of the most cooperative witnesses on the Island.

Crimson Acid has been through a helluva lot since the last time she saw Love Dies. Blessed by the gods with her stunning rack (of horns! OF HORNS!), she's become quite the idol now. So why is she also an information broker? And can you figure out what her true feelings for Love Dies are?

Between all of these conversations, you can explore the island and collect RELICS and BLOOD CRYSTALS (the local currency) and CITY POP SONGS.

Okay so the Slightly Batshit Version:

Shinji: The Syndicate worships alien gods who want to drown the world in war and blood. Lady Love Dies: I don't see how that makes us the bad guys.

You are LADY LOVE DIES, born under the sign KISS ME TO THE MOON, the INVESTIGATION FREAK. She was exiled to the Idle Lands several cycles ago for falling prey to the seduction of the god Damned Harmony and endangering the entire Syndicate. Only now, with the death of the Council on the eve of Paradise 25, is Love Dies summoned back to solve the murder.

The Syndicate are a group of functionally immortal humans from all across history who are trying to create the perfect bubble of reality, their utopic Paradise where they can safely revive their dead gods. They were granted many powers and boons by their first god, Silent Goat, and hope through rescuing more gods they will grow in power.

How do you create a bubble of reality to do all this totally ethical shit? Easy! You abduct a bunch of normie humans to live on your island to use as a mass sacrifice to generate energy to fuel the creation of each Paradise. If only the outsiders would stop getting in the way!

Paradise Killer's world is delightfully out of its goddamn mind and half of the fun of the game is just picking up little nuggets of information about each member of the Syndicate, the gods, why each Paradise failed (there was an outbreak of vampirism that took out like three of the Paradises???), and just the way this universe works.

Okay this post is already too long but I'm begging you all to give Paradise Killer a chance. It's gorgeous, it's funny, it's mechanically really interesting, it's chill as hell, it has an incredible soundtrack,

and you should try it.

I'LL SEE YOU IN A PERFECT 25 . . .

[postsofbabel]

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[incorrectelswordquotes]

Do you remember when the job progression quests had dialogue cutscenes and difficult quests? Each town had its own gear and you'd have to drop blue-background items to upgrade it. And it was character-specific too. Ice statues had to be crafted, and the ingredients would just pile up in your inventory. There was Unique equipment for every region you had a chance to drop after a boss battle, and it'd be shown in the chat. Plant Overlord's accessory was the top trending thing. Rena was blonde and did a flip when she double jumped. The first field introduced was the one between Hamel and Velder. The level cap was 40 and it was *hard* to get there.

I sure don't miss a lot of this stuff, but looking back, it feels like a wholly different game.

i played around when the game was still like this for the most part, except the level cap at the time was 70? and then over time it jumped to 90 but my middle-school/high-school ass couldn't keep up. actually, i remember seeing the new UI the game has for the health bars and that was already enough to throw me off. not that it looks bad, but i remember seeing this UI for the longest time:

vs this:

like as much as i miss the one i got acquainted with, this new one is a lot simpler and cleaner? yet it retains that cartoony vibe with the slanted bars so thats neat. and then there's THIS:

i'll admit i havent played during this era but man this looks busy af. it was simple yea, but something feels off about it. like i love the look here too but it kinda clashes colors-wise. there's not too much of a difference between the original UI and the one after it but i could tell it needed slimming down.

while i was gone i also learned that the previous privately-hosted server VoidEls was shut down but was eventually replaced by another, which is fair enough i guess.

"Each town had its own gear and you'd have to drop blue-background items to upgrade it. And it was character-specific too."

this was both cool and annoying, for me personally at least. it's cool in that every town having gear gave you a way to progress before getting even stronger gear. sort of like a jumping-off point for every town you got to as they handed you their own version of stuff you could use. and you could emulate their aesthetic by wearing their gear. the annoying part is that constantly switching gear means item management is necessary to prevent your inventory from maxing out, and not every item looked good on you. if you didn't have skins? tough luck. (my memory might be wrong here so please correct me if i messed something up)

"...job progression quests had dialogue cutscenes and difficult quests?"

THEY GOT RID OF THOSE!? maybe im jaded but as a writer, i liked seeing the player-characters' personal struggle as they progressed through a job-specific mission. those short cutscenes let us see what they're really like. even if some of the requirements really were trash. i still remember spamming the same dungeon over and over hoping for a quest drop (or multiple) so i can move on. but after hearing the story was consolidated to be one singular, linear path regardless of who you played, maybe they streamlined the job class progression system too?

update: yea it seems you still have to spam dungeons to upgrade to Master Class but it looks less tedious than before for previous class ranks.

"Plant Overlord's accessory was the top trending thing."

boss accessories were the bane of my existence so this makes sense. it seems like it's unobtainable, as many overworld zones and dungeons have since been removed based on what i just looked up

im assuming Plant Overlord isn't fightable anymore or only shows up in some elite zone now so rip

"Rena was blonde and did a flip when she double jumped."

i didn't know this. in fact when i checked her wiki page, the change was because her hair wasn't green enough despite her class art showing her as having green-hued hair.

speaking of the wiki,

holy fucking shit thats a lot of classes

[crescencestudio]

๋࣭⭑ Devlog 36 | 11.26.23 ๋࣭⭑

:rises from the dead: I'm.... BAAAAACK!!!!!!

Long time, no talk (kinda) everyone! I hope you've been happy, healthy, and well since we last saw each other and that the wind-down for the year is being kind to you all <3

We have a lot to catch up on, so let's do just that ^^ This is.... so long. I'm really sorry in advance tbh---I thought I hadn't done much because break, but there's quite a bit to show.

It's been a while since a formal update on the routes, so I'll start by telling you all where they officially stand. Before I do, it might be helpful to tell you all how I define percentage completion in my head. Basically, when I finish the draft of a route, I consider it 70% complete. This means I could ship it as is. I wouldn't be happy with the product, but it's playable and makes enough sense---just not the best quality.

When Wudgey finishes their edits, a route is 80%-85% complete, meaning I could ship it as is. I think it'd be pretty good actually and players would be happy. Beyond this point, I am just making fine tuning edits to incorporate more player interaction, polishing the flow of things, etc.

After that, there's basically only Elm and Vi's edits left. When Elm finishes, a route is 95% complete. Again, I think at this point, it's good. Like edits from this point onwards are purely for polishing purpose. After Vi, it's 98% complete. Then the last review comes back to Elm and I for it to be 100% complete. Right now, this is where the routes stand:

Kayn: 98% Complete

Fenir: 95% Complete

Druk: 80% Complete

Etza: 60% Complete (Still working on their draft!)

Do Not ask me about Kuna'a or Aisa LFMASOEIDJ

So most of the routes are actually looking pretty good! They're just getting bounced around to different editors at this point, but the changes made for most of them are basically small. Fenir and Kayn especially could be shipped as is in my eyes if I really wanted to.

Art recently has mostly been focused on commissions. Vui actually is almost done with ALL of the BGs for Alaris!! Isn't that crazy?? In about a year, he was able to create almost 25 BGs with daytime variations!!! He's a phenomenal artist, and I couldn't be happier to be working with him. It's also a bit bittersweet (and alarming??) to know that part of development is already close to ending! q.q

The most exciting art update I have is that we got the GUI assets finished and I've started coding them into the game!! AAAA!! These were the final updated assets I needed, and seeing the fully revamped demo come to life has been so.... Emotional HAHA! It's crazy to see how far Alaris has come from when I was first making it with my little fingies and throwing things together like paper mache. I'm incredibly in love with how all the assets look together, and I couldn't be more grateful for the artists who helped me update the assets!

Updated History Log. Please say you like the dividers between entries---I'm most proud of those

I'm still making my way through coding everything, but here's a couple screen previews so you all can see how things now look in the game!!

First off, is the Dialogue/Choice Screen. You can see that we have a brand new dialogue box (She's Stunning) and Choice Screen! I'm hoping to add some sfx for the choices when you hover over them, and sfx for the new UI in general so there's more user feedback when you click and hover on things. But for now, enjoy this preview of the new dialogue box, choice screen, and the new personality indicators!

Updated Dialogue/Choice Screen: You can't see it as well in GIF format, but the BG also has particles floating around, so there's a tiny bit of animation going on in some of the BGs as well!!

Next, we have the Free Time Screen. I actually posted this on Twitter recently but I don't think I posted it on Tumblr! ISN'T SHE STUNNING... ESPECIALLY WITH THE NEW BGS.... I'm especially happy with the text animations that show up at the bottom when you hover over the different choices! I was inspired by a couple other devs (specifically GUI god, @siyo-koy, and renpy animation master @just-a-carrot) to start incorporating animation style elements into my GUI. And I really like how it adds a little ~something~ to the feel of everything ^^

Updated Free Time Screen: begging someone to say they like the text animation so I feel validated for finangling with it

Finally, for our last preview, we have the Save Screen! While it looks new obviously with the new assets, I also did a lot of backend coding revamping for how it actually functions since my coding experience is a bit better now compared to when I was first fighting for my life figuring out save/load screens. The biggest change for you all is that there are now chapter markers so save slots will tell you what chapter that save file is from! And instead of screenshots, it's now a custom icon inside that shows the chapter card. I think it'll make the save screen look more cohesive now and hopefully more intuitive as well!!

Updated Save Screen: With a sprinkle of updated Chapter Card screen preview

That was long. Are any of us surprised, considering I had two months' worth of devlogs piled inside of me, begging to burst from the seams?

Anyways. Only two miscellaneous updates. One is that all soundtracks have been completed for Alaris! Peter finished the last of them recently, and they're all beautiful!!! For ppl who love piano soundtracks... :holds hand in piano lover solidarity:

Other update is that I finally fixed that godforsaken sprite bug that was associated with the energy vision feature from the demo!!! FINALLY!!! AFTER.... SO LONG. Extremely huge thanks to @robobarbie for taking time out of their day to do that; everyone please say thank you!!!!! OGs know how long that bug was bothering me!!!! Robo also gave me a pretty new rain code, so I'm showing you how both look in the new demo so you can appreciate them with me!!

Last miscellaneous update is more on a.... logistical development level?? Basically, now that I have new GUI assets to code, that means I can get a beta build of the routes currently written out. I was feeling really overwhelmed by that idea because most of this year has been focused on writing and making assets, not really coding. Knowing that I can Code and get Playable Builds out to people was stressful because I have to divvy up my time a bit more.

After an extremely insightful talk with beloved and admired Esh of @steamberrystudio I decided I'm probably going to be shifting how development goes from here on out. Instead of focusing head low on getting as many words written for the remaining routes everyday, I'm going to be making smaller but consistent progress and spend the rest of my time coding so that I can have more of a continuous cycle of production going on (e.g., writing a bit, making playable builds, gathering playtester feedback, etc. instead of doing each stage in blocked, sequential order).

I'm mainly telling you all this because it means writing updates will probably seem slower from this point on, but I think production overall will be more efficient because of it! This is also exciting news for playtesters and/or early access backers/patrons because it means you'll have playable content in the near future for content outside of just the demo :')

have u all heard of wudgeous of herotome. of course u have. they r all i talk about at this point

No market research because I've actually been addicted to BG3 LFMAOLSDJF. Actually, I'm taking some inspiration from it for the personality mechanic but eh.

On a more important note, @herotome demo is coming out December 2nd!!!! PLAY IT WITH ME. Wudgey is my editor, so you might think I'm biased but I'M NOT!!! I WAS A FAN OF HEROTOME BEFORE WUDGEY EVEN WORKED W ME!!! They have an exception eye for detail and player experience, and they are actually one of the devs that inspired me to even get into game development.

I just know the demo is going to blow everyone's socks off. OG Herotome prologue build fans know exactly what I'm talking about. Please mark December 2nd on your calendar---you will not regret it.

This was so unbelievably long, but I hope it's appreciated since there was no real devlog update for a hot minute. As always, Thank you all for your patience and continued support. With the year ending soon, I'm getting wrapped up in my feels in usual Crescence fashion. I am a Cancer so no one is surprised.

Next month will probably be more of an end-of-year devlog rather than the usual format. I know the devlogs of late have been all over the place, but once we get into the new year, it will be back to business as usual! Hope you all have a wonderful end to your year; I'll talk to you soon! <3

[feivelynart]

NEW FOURTH VERSION OF THE (ONLY) SUNLESS SKIES MOD OUT NOW!

Get in on Nexusmods

https://www.nexusmods.com/sunlessskies/mods/1

or ModDB

https://www.moddb.com/mods/monarch-steel-wine

Monarch Update 4: Glorious Dawn Features Include:

Expanded London: - New random events for London; some original, and some based and heavily expanding upon previously flavour-only events that now actually give you options and stuff! - New location tab for London: Nelson's Square where we sorted all high society related stuff to unclutter St Dominic’s; and finally proper New Sequence content (for all the 5 weirdos - me included that care)! - A dominance mechanic similar to New Winchester that currently influences Shop prices in London, reflecting which Albion Factions you throw your support behind

Pirate Ports: - Kenyon's Hand in the Reach can now be interacted with for piratical activities. - Canback's Gambit in Albion can now be interacted with for macabre and Resurrectionist activities.

New Facets: - Over 70 new Facets to fill out your Captain's background, many based on either your Origin or lore things from Fallen London, Sunless Seas or more fleshed-out things already in Sunless Skies we fleshed out more

The Cartographer in New Winchester: - A new shop in town, the Coffee & Cartography Company offers quests and a reward for clearing up the map to make a comprehensive Atlas of the Known Skies (Best started in a new lineage, but there is a legacy option for ongoing runs)

Ratpair Barges are a new, neutral NPC locomotive that offer repair on the fly when hailed (press toot button)

Two new Mascots can be found around the Skies

Sophia's Alehouse at Langley Hall offers high level hunting quests, where you are pitted against large waves of sky beasts.

Similar to London, New Winchester's and Magdalene's flavour-only events have been given actual mechanical impact and been integrated into the Something Awaits You mechanic

Pan finally gets purchasable Lodgings at last

New Mod-Modules: faction related modules have been added, which can be obtained when your reputation is good (or at least not bad!) with a given faction.

QOL improvements to Mod-UI and jettissoning of Fuel/Supplies

Many small balances and fixes of previous mod content, and a lot more small additions

This update saw the largest Quest and Event addition of the mod so far. We more than doubled our added Event count. Some mechanical features like boarding have been postponed until the next update, since they need more polishing. We also recently made some mechanical breakthroughts that need proper exploration, like adding new docks and save points (and not just dockable discoveries), custom prospects, bargains and discoveries. If you find bugs you can either tell us on Failbetter Discord’s Sunless Skies channel, our mod team Discord, on Nexus or Moddb, the Sunless Skies Subreddit or here on tumblr (feel free to dm me).

[gthiah-if]

Gone to HELL in a Handbasket - 18+ Interactive Fiction (wip) - by glucosify

tags : urban fantasy (inspired by late 70s / early 80s), romance, supernatural, mystery, satanic and occult themes, cults, 18+ rating for violence, sexual content, mental illness and more

A simple pizza delivery turns sinister when you find yourself trapped with 5 other strangers in a decaying place that hides a dark history and darker secrets.

Demo here on itch.io ⋄ last update: May 2023 ⋄ word count : ~7,400 (~13,100 with code)

Only the prologue is available for now, you won't play as the main character until chapter 1 :^)

Features :

a story that (loosely) takes place in the late 70s, in NYC

custom made UI : dark, light and retro themes, mobile friendly, adjustable fonts, font sizes and weights

customizable MC : play as male, female, non-binary, touch starved, touch averse.. and choose your appearance and personality

figure out the secrets left behind and find a way out - one way or another

choose to forsake an imminent evil or become part of something greater

decide if your companions are trustworthy or simply useful for your own goal

five gender selectable romantic options (male, female, non-binary) - choose their pronouns and appearances separately / romance is optional but will most likely be a big part of the story

Romantic Options :

Mahalia / Marlon / Mars "MOONLANDER" Harris : a sarcastic and pragmatic computer operator; they’re an arcade, tech and sci-fi lover through and through

Amélie / Alexandre / Astin "ACE" Beaulieu : a college athlete with a sunny disposition who's currently feeling lost and going through a difficult time

Gina / Gil / Gera "GUMDROP" Fernández Alfonso : charismatic and resourceful, this social work student's desire to help others always seems to break through their fear of letting people get too close

Ilona / István / Írisz "IRIS" Juhász : though they lack in life experiences due to a sheltered upbringing, they possess a gentle thoughtfulness and vivid imagination

Kat / Kit / Ky "KILLJOY" Miller : a reckless straight-edge hardcore punk with a sharp tongue and an honest heart

LINKS : FAQ ⋄ TAGLIST ⋄ MASTERLIST ⋄ GOOGLE FORM (feedback & bug report)​ ⋄ DISCORD (TBA) ⋄ PINTEREST (TBA)

This blog will be used to post updates and anything related to the IF - answered asks, scenarios, headcanons, short drabbles etc..

started in december 2022 - first update in may 2023 - b&w image from untermyergardens.

[steamberrystudio]

27/08/2023

So now that Gilded Shadows is wrapping up, I am promoting When Stars Collide from "Spare time project" to "Part time project"

What is the difference? Well, when I work on something in my spare time, that means it is late at night or the weekend. Literally when I am not doing anything else and just feel like tinkering with it. 

As a part time project, this means that I will be spending an hour or two each day during the work week to do things for this project. It will start making more steady progress even if I'm not focusing on it full time.

This is basically taking it from me spending 0 - 4 hours on it a week to 8-10 hours on it a week. 

My goal is to have the draft complete before the end of the year (by 'draft', I mean 'rough draft'). But more on that below.

Summary

Finished all scenes for the new chapter three

Finished Yren chapter 6 scenes

Started catching Kav's route up to the others

Edited Asher's CG to account for the new conference room BG

Small adjustments to Wil's first CG

Ramble

This week my big focus for WSC has been on writing. As I mentioned, I really want to get the rough draft completed by the end of the year. Currently the draft is nearly 70% complete (for those following updates in multiple places, when you see different percentages....it's because I've written more since then. Rofl).

Now, the draft was nearly 70% in the past as well but I added another route since then, so I lost some progress due to the increase in target word count. I'm also calculating things more precisely now as I created a newer and fancier writing spreadsheet to track my progress and keep myself on track.

I went back and wrote in the new chapter 3, reorganising all the existing chapters and scenes to accommodate it. 

I finished Yren chapter 6 (which catches him up to Noel and Raif). 

And now I'm working on catching Kav, the new character, up to Yren, Noel, and Raif. (Remember, Daaz and Asher's routes are already fully drafted).

I have written about 15000 words since my last update here. I don't expect to write that much every week and my goal is actually a fair bit more modest than that. Gilded Shadows is not 100% complete yet. I still have multiple KS related things to finish and, of course, I will be making corrections and focusing on its beta testing once testers have had a bit more time with it. 

WSC is still a part time project. This was just a particularly good week for it.

I have also worked on a few other things for WSC - mostly UI related and some art related things.

I received a new BG since my last update, and realised that...I have to revamp all the existing CGs. Or at least update them to change the background elements. I've only edited one so far but I don't think it'll be too much effort to fix the others.

And I continue to streamline and adjust the UI to make it look nicer and be more efficient.

So...

Kav. The new character. Kav'isari Tiaine, a Ka'mérian crew member who works in the space labs most of the time and specialises in identifying alien technology (what species it belongs to and what it does).

To explain where Kav came from, he actually popped into my head months ago. And every so often, I would contemplate whether or not I wanted to add him. I would say I first had the idea in January or February of this year. I would repeatedly think about it and dismiss it.

I then mentioned it to a friend sort of off-handedly back at the very beginning of June. A month and a half later, I mentioned him on a voice call on my server knowing full well that if I really talked about him and had a conversation about him, I would probably end up doing enough character brainstorming that he would become "real." And I talked about him anyway.

And that's exactly how he became an actual character. I think I had his sprite sketched out by the end of that day.

But he had existed as a concept long before that. The main reason I was willing to add him instead of ruthlessly telling myself no is just that I felt there was a gap in the cast for a gadfly style character who has a little mystery to him. And I just knew I could manage another route based on the length of Asher and Daaz's routes.

So...yeah. That is how Kav came into being. His introduction into the story has caused a few minor changes to standing lore or things in the prologue (just mentions of him, etc). But the changes to the currently public content of the game are pretty minor.

Kav won't actually appear in the game until Chapter 3. He gets mentioned a few times up to that point. There are some logistical considerations to his route but I have talked about those more on Patreon.

Speaking of Patreon, now that WSC is moved into "part time" status, I will be starting to slowly release some Patreon-exclusive lore posts for this game there. Like most games monetised through Patreon content, the lore posts will not be critical to having a full and complete game experience. Rather, it is going to be comprised of additional and extra lore content.

Some of the lore content released on Patreon will be in the game (such as character back stories) but Patrons will get to see it early and will get it presented in a different format.

Much of the content can be considered "extras" rather than necessary.

I will also be updating on the development progress weekly there (available to all patrons) rather than bi-weekly, and my updates there (going forward) will tend to be more detailed than the ones here.

Once episode releases start, Patrons will be able to access them before they the public releases. But backing on Patreon is not necessary to be able to play the game and get a full and complete game experience. It's just how this particular game will be monetised as I'm looking for more sustainable release styles so I can continue to make games.

That is all for this update. I will see you in a couple of weeks to talk about WSC again!

[night-market-if]

Dev Blog 7/1/23

Hello my reader!

I'm here with a mini development blog for you all. So far I have added to the base game something like 40k more words. This is not including coding. I have also cleaned up some code errors that wouldn't let you get past the Deep, and negated a conversation with Hazel in the last chapter.

All I have left now is a clean up of some minor name codes and the editing of all the NSFW scenes. Then I can have a few people beta it and I can redo the UI of the game.

I would also like to say that the asexual route within the game is going to change a bit. The more I have learned about asexuality, the more it has come to my attention that there are a vast amount of ways that this can be represented. So, I have decided to address this by allowing an option to have a conversation about this with your RO before any NSFW scene. It can be that the MC doesn't like sex at all to the MC not opposed to it when it feels right. I know this is going to not satisfy some people but this is kind of what I feel comfortable writing. I feel like, at this point in my writing career, I just don't know how to approach it in the variation that asexuality actually is. That might change as I continue writing but for now, that's how I would like to keep it.

That being said, the sexuality code in general has also changed. You no longer have a code saying you are attracted to just men or just women. You can flirt with whoever you want without consequence. You can also deny anyone you want without consequence. Instead, I will just be coding in when you choose which RO you wish to explore the Night Market with. Polys will of course come after all of that. I felt this was also a fair representation. If you are someone who does not want to flirt with a certain gender, then don't chose the flirt options for it. It will then not open any of the flirtation scenes. Or, you know, tell Milo and Bella to just back off. :)

Now onto some personal stuff.

I am stressed. I mean, like really stressed. I thought I would have everything done by today and I am not done. Mainly, I feel bad for my Kickstarter backers. I have so much I owe them and everything is only in about the 70% done area. I am so sorry guys. I have been beating myself up over this for a while now when it became clear that this was far more work than I thought. It's crazy to me. I'm absent from Tumblr and Discord at this point and yet I have been busier with work than I've ever been.

I'm also terrified I'm just not doing enough to the base game. Things that I thought would fit great, ended up not fitting at all. Things that I thought would be an easy addition turned out to be way out of the realm of my capability. It's just all been a learning experience where I've felt like I'm letting you guys down.

And at the end of the day? I really just want to write Book 2.

I know I owe no one an explanation. I've just had this weird feeling I've had to battle the last few months where I am feeling like I have to choose between my family life and my work life. And I hate it. My husband took two weeks off work just so I could work like crazy and I am still not done which is bothering me. Which means weekends are sometimes spent not with my kids but instead working away again. And, because we are a split family, it isn't always like I can make up for this time mid week.

I'm not really looking for advice on this. I'm just kind of trying to be transparent. The stress is for sure getting to me and believe me, I am looking forward to this going up on Steam more than anyone at this point. And then I'm sure I'll spiral because I'll be certain somehow barely anyone will buy it. LOL! But hey, at least I just got two more cats to add to my life. They can purr away my stress that night.

That's everything guys. Thank you for being who you are and I promise you, I am taking care o myself. I'm just a stressed person by nature, I think.

I hope everyone else is having a good summer and you all are getting some wonderful reading time in. If you celebrate the 4th, here's to hoping you have lots of good food that day!

With love,

Zinnia

[wc-confessions]

I really mourn for the kids role-playing on roblox now. WCUE is like every other shitty animal roleplay game on roblox but with warrior cats flavoring. It's overwhelmed with gamepasses, constantly utilizing FoMO, and 70% of the playerbase use the game as a hangout spot instead of roleplaying. Half of the roleplayers are kinda snotty too.

Im just sad for em'. I'd say in all of my time playing as a kid, I've only been teased once or twice for being edgy but it was always lighthearted. However, within the few times I've checked in on WCUE, I've had random people chew me out for shit like opening the prey pile/medicine den UI or jumping into a special role on accident. The versions before WCUE were not as graphically stunning for roblox games but the vibe was way better. We also didn't have to steal our parents credit cards to make cool looking characters.

[madame-mozart]

My Child Lebensborn got updated!!

I noticed my MCL posts (specifically here, here, and here, as well as on my OC x Canon sideblog) are gaining traction once again, so I felt like I’d make yet another MCL post just letting y’all in the fandom know (if you haven’t already) that the game came out with a remastered update sometime in late June/early July! I didn’t end up playing it until now, so I thought I’d share what’s been added with you!

The UI got updated! Also, it might be just me, but it looks like you earn more money at work?? I counted +70 coins earned after each shift, though I’m not sure if that was the same before the remaster?

When you go to the study (the place where you’re able to read mail, look at your photo album, journal, and (spoiler) the papers you get from Klaus/Karin’s aunt, the photo album has been updated with a feature that lets you “star” your favorite pictures! These pictures will then be hung up on the wall! When you first start the game, you can only hang one picture up, but I think by the end of it, you’re able to hang four pictures.

The newspapers you read after you collect them in the mail will be stored in that little box on the table, and eventually they will look “crumpled”. You can then click/tap on them to use as crafting materials! You’re able to make little paper boats, swords, and other things for your child.

There are new little “dream” images that float up when you read your child bedtime stories! I think there was only the castle before the remaster, but now there’s a troll with a little bird and a few other cute things!

This isn’t as “OMG WOW AMAZING” as the other things that got added in the remaster, but you can see the backpack you bought for the child at the beginning of the game (if you did buy one, that is. You’re a cruel parent if you didn’t lmao) just next to their wardrobe. There might be a few other small aesthetic changes like this that I didn’t catch, but I don’t know.

There are new cute hairstyles you can collect for your child (I think brushing his/her hair in the bathroom doesn’t cost time units anymore??)! These particular ones above are my favorites on Karin. :) I believe you can get them by crafting.

Speaking of crafting, you can also make little figures using pinecones you find in the woods (these will be placed on the shelf next to the lamp in the study)!

This is probably my favorite thing that got added with the remaster. YOU CAN FIND CUTE ANIMALS IN THE FOREST!! I’m not sure if there are more beyond the squirrel, ducks, and the fox, but you’re able to save these moments in your photo album. :) I also found out that you can collect flowers from the forest and display them in your album too!

There are maybe a few other things that I missed, but the point is, there are now lots of new activities to do and things to collect with your child. It’s all so adorable!! Nothing has changed story-wise, though, so yeah. Hope you all enjoy the new update like I did!

[santaesecrets]

Santae Artist Rates Exposed

This post was submitted by Anonymous. Thank you for the fantastic information:

Hello! just wanted to send in a message regarding artist pay. this post: https://www.tumblr.com/santaesecrets/761713354198908928/user-banned-after-acquiring-updated-artist-rates?source=share

not sure why Sky left out the entire price range? she could just have been referring to the price of Items alone (minimals, food, books, items like that).

I'll start with this: Discussion of Wages is a Federally Protected right in the United States, where CJ and Santae Entertainment LLC is based, please look at this link here for your rights regarding Wage Discussion. https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/your-rights-to-discuss-wages

Now that that's out of the way: That doesn't encompass the entire range of Artist pay.

Naturally, for starters, the price of items is not the price of NPC's, Pets, Graphic Art (avatars, icons, site header, etc), Map/Scenery Art.

but, most notable of all. It doesn't include the Human Avatar art (the clothing, companions and such drawn on the Human Avatars directly, this does not include the Item Art of the Human Avatar Items).

Items: Regular Items are 6 USD flat. There is no price range on visual complexity. Animated Items are 8 USD Basic Recolors (so, just using the fill tool to color layers that already exist, very easy) are 0.50 USD each Complex Recolors (adding new information to an existing item) are 2 USD

NPC art is 30 USD New Pet art is 30 USD Existing Pet Revamps (redrawing an old pet) is 20 USD Pet Basic Recolor is 2 USD "Elaborate Recolor(line edits)" is 3 to 5 USD Animated Forum Avatars - 4 USD Pixel Icons - 3 USD Animated Pixel Icon - 5 USD Pixel Icon Recolor - 0.50 USD Site Header - 6 USD Regular Site Banner/Graphic - 4 USD Animated Site Banner/Graphic - 6 USD Site Banner Recolor - 1 USD Social Media Graphic - 5 to 10 USD UI Page Design - 8 USD

Harvest Locations, 70 USD Explore Map - 100 USD Scenery - 30 to 50 USD Header Image - 80 USD Header Seasonal Alts - 25 USD

And, finally. Human Avatar Art (this is the art drawn directly on the human avatars), I'll type this out for those using a screenreader, but i did include the image we artists are given to reference, with some blurs and mosaic to the depicted items for NDA reasons:

Small Accessories (earrings/necklace), and Eyes: 2 to 4 USD Facial Features: 1 to 2 USD Hair: 5 to 8 USD Belts and Sashes, Shoes, Gauntlets, Leggings, Pants, Shorts, Small Wings, Small Head Wearables, Hair Accessories: 4 to 6 USD Shirts: 4 to 8 USD Large Acessories, Cloaks, Robes, Dresses: 6 to 8 USD Skins, and Large Wings: 8 to 12 USD Large Head Wearables: 8 to 10 USD Special Clothing and Armor: 12 to 15 USD Backgrounds: 30 USD Foreground: 6 to 8 USD Please keep in mind, the earlier mention of Animated items includes, hand drawn, frame by frame animation.

And, every single step of the process gets sent in for approval. Your sketch, your Lines, Color, and Shading If Artists were able to finish these items in less than an hour, the pricing still wouldn't be great, the Pet Site Community as a whole undervalues art. But, each item will take at least 1 day, if not longer to finish, requested to be drawn in batches of 5. Typically, you may see an artist finish 5 items a Week. If an Artist was to draw 5 shirts for the site, they will get, not including the Item Art, 20 dollars. As there has been times where the artist who draws the clothing on the Human Avatar doesn't end up drawing the Item. Please bear this in mind when you think about those 150 to 500 dollar price tags on the Kickstarter for designing items. 150 dollars for Hair, when the artist will get 5. 200 dollars for a single clothing item, when the range the artist will receive will be 2 to 8 USD. I emplore the staff to make the pay of all staff members 100 per cent transparent to the users, including Artist pay, Admin, Programmer, Mods, and etc. Real life money or SanCash.

[doyoulikethis-vocaloid-song]

🎼 FEATURED SONGS (40-80)

40. Hydrangea by LonePi 41. Twilight Light by toa 42. キミノ…/SAKURA by AVTechNo 43. Dear by Pepoyo 44. SWALLOWTAIL ON THE SPIDER'z NET by LIQ 45. Beautiful knight errant by PoKeR 46. Crescent Moon by WhiteFlame 47. p.h. by SEVENTHLINKS 48. Color & Electricity by muship 49. Weenywalker by youまん 50. Lucky Me by Mcki Robyns-P 51. Absolutenote by Lemm 52. To The Land of Eternity by hinayukki@sigotositeP 53. It Should've Been Me by R.I.P 54. Witch by Suzuki-p 55. Rabbit Hole by deco*27 56. The Wings of Phoenix by Senjougahara Yousei 57. Pulse of the Meteor by *Luna 58. RONDON SLAG PATHY HI by MASA WORKS DESIGN 59. Ideal Picture by NanoritaP 60. Magical Girl Eudaemonics by tohma 61. DROWN by Bloopy 62. Filament Fever by Van de Shop 63. Kurayami no Parade by Yucha-P 64. WAVE by niki 65. dogdog by abu-se-ken 66. Astro Troopers by Satsuki ga Tenkomori 67. Self Proclaimed Angel by KAT 68. El Tango Egotista by nyanyannya 69. I'll DO My Best to ☆ Contribute to Society!! by nunununununununununununununununu 70. Let's Go to Paradise by picado 71. Tokyo Teddy Bear by Neru 72. chilly by yomitan akane 73. menhera janai mon! by isana 74. AaAaAaAAaAAa by Nashimoto Ui 75. Bouquet garni by NILFRUITS 76. I Hate Sailor Uniforms by JinseiP 77. Travel Beyond the Moon by vil 78. Alice of Human Sacrifice by YagamiP 79. KalmiaDolls by とりぴよ 80. I want to be your heart by YurryCanon

And a Youtube Playlist so you can listen to them all! I'll continue to update this as the polls finish up! 💚

[stegal]

Füst és bármi egyéb, nyomoradó stb.

Szeretnék egy alkalmazottat tartani, szánok rá 743.992 Ft-ot. Ebből a szocho:85.592, így pont a bruttó átlagbért tudom fizetni neki, ami 658.400. Ebből lejön az szja: 98.760 = 559.649, a tb: -121.804. Így a nettója 437.836. Ft lesz. Amikor elkölti, fizet még 118.215 ft áfát (27%), így 319.721 ft marad. Ha csak vásárol! Egyéb esetben ebből lejön illeték, biztosítási adó, jövedéki adó (alkoholon, cigin, üzemanyagon), külön adó (mert ezt is mi fizetjük, a vételárba beépítette mindenki), chips adó ez legyen csak 10%, az - 31.972. Ez így 287.649. Vagyis a 743.992 forintból a nettó, az 287.649. A másik 456.343 ft valamilyen adó formájában biztosan az államnál landol. Ez 61,3%. De ez a minimum! Egy autó vagy ingatlan vásárlás jelentősen megdobja az államnál landoló összeget. (Plusz ehhez is gépjárműadó, ingatlanadó.) És százalékot. Akár 65-70%-a is lehet a keresetünknek az adó tartalma. Vagyis ~225.000 a tied, ~519.000 az államé a 744.000-ből. Ezt csak azoknak írom, akik a mai napig győzködnek engem, hogy Magyarországon a fizetések kb 30%-a az adó és ezzel a világon az egyik legalacsonyabb. Mert sajnos vannak még ilyen emberek....

Ui.: Megérkeztek az első röhögő fejek. Ezzel nem az írásomat minősíted, hanem magad, hogy nem vagy tisztában a magyar adózással.